A Privacy-Preserving Scheme for Charging Reservations and Subsequent Deviation Settlements for Electric Vehicles Based on a Consortium Blockchain

Abstract

Electric vehicles have garnered substantial attention as an environmentally sustainable transportation alternative amid escalating global concerns regarding ecological preservation and energy resource management. While the proliferation of electric vehicles necessitates the development of efficient and secure charging infrastructure, the inherent communication-intensive nature of the charging processes has raised concerns regarding potential privacy vulnerabilities. Our paper introduces a privacy protection scheme specifically designed for electric vehicle charging reservations to address this issue. The primary goal of this scheme is to protect user privacy while maintaining operational efficiency and economic viability for charging providers. Our proposed solution ensures a secure and private environment for charging reservation transactions and subsequent deviation settlements by incorporating advanced technologies, including zero-knowledge proof, a consortium blockchain, and homomorphic encryption. The scheme encrypts charging reservation information and securely transmits it via a consortium blockchain, effectively shielding the sensitive data of all participating parties. Notably, the experimental findings establish the robustness of our scheme in terms of its security and privacy protection, aligning with the stringent demands of electric vehicle charging operations.